The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1887-05-11
WHITE WIT AGAINST RED.
Joe Wagner Neatly Doubles on the Indian
After His Scalp.


Toe Wagner Neatly Doubles on the Indian
After His Scalp.
az reckon YOU know the old Red Cloud
Agency to the northeast of Fort Laramie2"
1ueried Joe Wagner, the Indian fghter' as
he was asked to narrate one OF his adyen-
lures.
ayes"
.sWelI. still to the northeast of that is the
Spotted Tail Agency, provided the Indian
AGENTS haven't stolen it. Through these two
reservations runs a bit of river called the
Niobrara and at big bend, midway be-
tween the two agencies, sot myself down
one fall to do some trapping. 1t was the hrst
or second year after the agencies were estaD-
lisbed and the redskins forced to live upon
them. and the whole lot of them were In
cantankerous state from Sunday morning to
Saturday night. War parties were sneaking
off the reservations now and then to sneak
back when the pursuit became too not, ana
the red devils left at home thought no more
of killing white hunter than you would OF
kicking chip out of your way
81 went there to hunt and trap because it
was great game region, but | realized all
The perils. knew that l if was discovered by
the Indians, I'd be wiped out instanter
untitled at Laramie with mule provisions
and traps, and was ten or 'leven days getting
to the bend in the river | have spoken OF
The first thing was to corral the mule IN
safe place. and the next to go into camp
about a mile away and leave as few traces OF
NV presence as possible. l didntsee any In
dian signs around there, but didn' let that
I
struck by rattlesnake when ldidn't suppose
there was one within ten miles. made
me a comfortable shelter of limbs and brush,
rot fifty-six traps into the river and some
lead falls set and had begun to feel bit
easier in my mind when, ON the third day
after NV arrival, | secuted out to see If the
mule was all right. i found him dead. His
throat had been cut from ear to ear, ana, by
The big horn spoon it was the work of ared-
skin. He had not only cut the anlmals
throat clear across, but had cut and slashed
The body in fifty places. In the sign language
Of the Indian that meant contempt for the
,wner of the mule. II meant for me to look
out for myself 1t meant war to the knife on
he white man who had dared trespass upon
The forbidden grounds.
"If had been fool huff to go walking
around in search of the mule, the chap who
finished him would have finished me. But
wasn't you sec. went gliding about like
sarpint. and from the edge of q thicket saw
the body of the mule lying in little glade.
That there was an Indian near by, ready to
draw a bead on me, had no doubt and the
idea didn't rattle me as much as you might
suppose. | reasoned that if there was two
reds they would have run the mule off in
stead of killing him. l believed that there
was only one, and that he was some young
warrior who was ambitious to match cunning
with me, and who wanted the honor OF
having outgeneraled me. That tickled
me a bit. don't want to do any boast
ing, but I've lived in the Indian
country all my life and 1t never
happened that a redskin got very far
ahead of me as anybody knows of: 1t was
about ten o'clock in the morning when got
my gentle hint. From the looks OF the body
Judged that the mule had been killed that
very morning. This made it pretty clear
that the redskin had not yet discovered my
shelter. Otherwise he would have attended
to nv case first. My first care was to get out
of the neighborhood without leaving any
trail, and then to build a small fire at point
mile or so from my camp, and cut down
brush and make decoy camp. The fire
had used to cook my breakfast had been
built in hole in the ground, and carefully
extingushed when it had answered my pur-
pose. The red would smell the smoke of
this fire half mile away, and chuckled as
thought of him skulking around there and
waiting for a man about my size to come in
and be bored with bullet.
1.-THE next move was to strike the river
Just where the savage would hit it If looking
for my traps. 1t was guesswork of course,
but surveyed the ground, put his head on
my shoulders for half an hour, and when ]
waded back was in ambush in a bunch of
to get to me. ] reasoned that he wouldfindth the
! ! : sssss.'id hare show himself
fire and the counterfeit camp by 'Ieven
o'clock. He would hang around there until
about two before he gave up looking for me.
Then he would slide for the river, hoping to
pick me up as sat on the ground pulling the
pelts off my catch. | had been in position
over an hour, and was beginning to wish
the climax would come, when a sudden
thought lifted me a foot high, and inside
of minute ! was shaking my way down
the stream. 1t struck me all in heap
that | had reasoned wrong. The redskin
wouldn't come my way at all, nor come
through the woods, but would go further up
the river and come floating down along the
right bank, which was heavily shaded, and
III tie shadow. | came to stand about
quarter of mile below the ambush, and in
one of the small bends of the stream
could now see up the river clear to the spot
had vacated, and what you suppose hap
pened inside Of ten minutesP Well, sir, that
Indian came floating down at the end of ali
old log, and when he reached the point op-
posite where had waited to ambush him ne
rose up, picked his rifle off the log. and
waded ashore, drawing the log after him, and
landing 1t. Then he softly crept into the
willows, and if | had been waiting in
the old spot he would have had my back
To him and | would bavo Ao.,., <x..,, -
The cuss had reasoned it out for him.
self. He had discovered that the camp
was bogus. He had reasoned that
would lay for him just where did. Then,
to beat me at my game. he had enne up the
stream and tioated down to take me In the
rear. Sharp Indian, he was, but there was a
party by the name of Joe Wagner in that
neighborhood just then. l could have shot
the red as he left the water for had a mon.
strously heavy rifle, but didn't want to- /
wanted to mortify and humiliate him first.
In half an hour he reappeared, and he was
puzzled. After standing for a few minutes he
made up his mind that / had posted myself
lower down, and he sets his log afloat and
comes drifting along with only his nose above
water. just as he reached me he pushed the
log into the bank, waited for long three
minutes, and then rose up and crawled ashore.
AS he rose up to get view around him we
were not thirty feet apart ! riz too, rifle to
my shoulder, and yelled to him:
camel
We'll, sir, he was paralyzed--the first case
of the kind ever saw. His rifle fell TO the
earth, his jaw. dropped, his eyes bulged out,
and just did hate TO pull trigger and knock
him over. Wouldn't have done it if / had
thought he would have promised to go home
and leave me alone, though somebody would
have had to pay for that ule."-Nep York
San.